AN EXPRESSIVE TERRACOTTA FIGURE OF VISHNU, GUPTA PERIOD

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AN EXPRESSIVE TERRACOTTA FIGURE OF VISHNU, GUPTA PERIOD Scientific Analysis Report: A thermoluminescence analysis report issued by CIRAM Science for Art Cultural Heritage on 1 September 2026, test number 0726-OA-1261J-5, sets the firing date of both samples taken at 1700 +/- 150 years ago, consistent with the dating above. A copy of the report accompanies this lot. India, West Bengal or Bangladesh, 4th-5th century. Finely modeled with a rounded face, full lips, heavy-lidded eyes, and pierced elongated earlobes suspending rectangular earrings, the head surmounted by an elaborate tiara centered by a moon emblem framed by scrolling ornaments and tassels. The body is dressed in a diaphanous loincloth tied around the waist and falling in long, elegant pleats between the muscular legs. Dimensions: Height 43.6 cm (excl. stand), 53.5 cm (incl. stand) Terracotta was the traditional material for religious images in the Ganges Valley and in the Mauryan and Shunga periods (3rd-1st century BC). Bengal had been the source of some of the most sophisticated figures of gods and goddesses. In the Gupta period, several centers of terracotta sculpture emerged across the Empire, from Akhnur in Kashmir, down to Shravasti and Bitargaon in Uttar Pradesh, around the Gupta capital at Pataliputra (Patna), and down into the Ganges Delta where some of the richest red clays were available. The scarcity of stone in eastern Bihar and Bengal meant that clay was traditionally the principal material for architectural purposes, with brick structures richly adorned in terracotta or stucco. Numerous archaeological sites throughout Bengal attest to the remarkable sophistication and refinement achieved in these media. With a fitted metal stand. (2) Literature comparison: Compare a related terracotta bust of Vishnu from Bengal or Bangladesh, dated Gupta period, 5th-6thcentury, 29.2 cm tall, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 2000.82. Compare a related terracotta figure of the four-armed Vishnu from Uttar Pradesh, dated Gupta period, 5th century, 26 cm tall, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 1987.142.293. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Christie’s New York, 23 March 2010, lot 154 Price: USD 15,000 or approx. EUR 20,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the closely related facial features with expressive eyes, tasseled crown, and halo. Note the much smaller size (25.4 cm) and lesser state of preservation. Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Christie’s New York, 20 March 2012, lot 31 Price: USD 10,625 or approx. EUR 13,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the similar features, the expressive eyes, thickly lined neck, and pierced earlobes. Note the much smaller size (19 cm) and lesser state of preservation.

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